ActionSA has delivered a damning assessment of the Government of National Unity’s (GNU) performance in its first year, assigning an overall grade of “E” and accusing the coalition of failing to deliver on critical reforms.
The report, released on Monday, outlines severe shortcomings across six governance pillars, ethical leadership, economic growth, infrastructure, service delivery, education, and law and order.
ActionSA, which declined to join the GNU in 2024 and instead positioned itself as a “constructive opposition,” gave the coalition failing marks (“F”) in four of the six categories, painting a bleak picture of policy stagnation and institutional decay.
The report criticizes the GNU’s handling of the economy, citing a rise in the expanded unemployment rate from 42.6% to 43.1%. ActionSA noted the loss of nearly 300,000 jobs in the first quarter of 2025 alone, arguing the government has failed to generate the 3–4% annual economic growth required to curb the jobs crisis. More than 8.2 million South Africans remain unemployed, with 3.5 million others too discouraged to seek work.
On education, the party flagged a decline in the matric throughput rate from 55.3% in 2023 to 53.6% in 2024. It also highlighted that 1 in 14 schools still rely on bucket toilets, a persistent symbol of inadequate infrastructure. The delayed release of NSFAS’s 2023/24 annual report was also cited as a failure to support students and access to higher education.
Perhaps most scathing was ActionSA’s review of ethical leadership, which it described as lacking transparency and accountability. The party condemned the R204 million spent on ministerial travel, with some ministers allegedly failing to disclose the costs. The absence of performance agreements for cabinet members was also flagged as a key weakness in governance.
While the GNU has yet to respond formally to the report, ActionSA says the grade reflects public frustration with a coalition government that promised reform but, in their view, has delivered only inertia.